A) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical disc recording apparatus that records a visible image in an optical disc.
B) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been an optical disc recording apparatus for recording information to a recordable optical disc such as a compact disc-recordable (CD-R), a compact disc rentable (CD-RW) and the like. The optical disc recording apparatus irradiates laser light to a recording surface of the optical disc and records information by controlling the laser light corresponding to data to be recorded.
On the other hand, on the opposite side of the recording surface of the optical disc, a label surface is provided. The label surface is used as a writing area on which a user writes recording contents of the optical disc. In recent years, a user generally designs an image of a label surface by using a personal computer (hereinafter called PC) and prints it to a label sheet for adhering to the label surface by a using printer. Also, the user generally prints the image directly on the label surface of the optical discs by using the printer.
For printing the original image on the label sheet, the printer is necessary. Moreover, when the label sheet is used, a user may fail in adhering it to the label surface, and the operation will be complicated. On the other hand, when direct print is executed on the label surface, failure is hardly to occur. However, it is necessary to purchase a printer having a function for printing directly on the label surface.
On the recording surface of the optical disc, information recording is executed by changing reflectivity of a recording layer with the laser light. The inventor of the present invention aimed at changing the colors at a time of information recording, and conceived recording a visible image on the optical disc by the laser light.
However, since a conventional optical disc recording apparatus irradiates a laser light with an identical power, duration (hereinafter called recording sensitivity) to reach a color developing temperature by the laser light is changed when a temperature of the optical disc has changed. The variation in the recording sensitivity causes gaps of color developing positions and contrasts, and the outline of a visible image will fade, or spots will be produced in the contrasts.
On the other hand, some of the conventional optical disc recording apparatuses set laser power for every optical disc. However, this type of the optical disc recording apparatuses keep the laser power fixed up at a time of recording. Therefore, the point that the variation arises in the recording sensitivity according to the temperature of the optical disc remains the same.